Coalesce
by xx-risque
Summary: New York City, 2022. Life kind of sucks. repost
1. coffee shop

"Daddy!" Pepper yells from her place on the floor when Sam pushes open the door to their apartment. The blonde laughs, scoops up the little girl with a soft smile on his face.

"Hey, Pep." He says, resting her deftly on his hip with a technique he's perfected over the last five years. The girl laughs, nestling herself against her father's shoulder.

"You still have to show me how you do that." Santana laughs absently from the other side of the room where she stands cradling a baby girl against her chest.

"Isn't Alba still a little young for that?" Sam smirks, walking over to her and shifting Pepper on his hip. "She already looks like you."

"Yeah, except she has your stupid eyes." She rolls her eyes at the blonde and the baby in her arms gurgles.

"Hey, you and Britt wanted my DNA. You could've asked Rory." Sam pretends to huff and looks away from her, kissing the top of Pepper's head.

"Shut up." She laughs, scooping up the baby bag at her feet and heading towards the door. "You're one of my oldest friends, if anyone was fathering my test tube baby, it was going to be you. I think Britt wants to ask Rory when it comes to having hers, though."

"Britt wants to ask Rory what?" The brunette in question leans around the doorframe, Irish accent still thick even after years of living in the states. Sam and Santana exchange a quick glance.

"Oh, nothing." Santana covers quickly, rocking Alba slightly as she starts to whimper. "I'd better head home. Alba's getting restless."

She leans up and presses a kiss to Sam's cheek, kisses Pepper on the forehead before disappearing past Rory and into the elevator at the end of the hall.

"What's going on?" Rory frowns as Sam passes him and heads for the stairs.

"Oh, nothing. San was just babysitting Pep today." He sets her down on the floor and she straightens her dress, giving him a disdainful look that he's _sure _Santana must've taught her. She reaches up and grabs Rory's hand.

"Rory." She says, dragging out the second 'r' sound in his name. He laughs. "Are you coming for smoothies with me and Daddy?"

Rory looks at Sam, and the blonde nods, starting to walk down the stairs.

"Yeah, I am. Then I have to go back to your dad's shop and arrange a few stacks of special edition hardcover copies of the new Marvel release that your daddy was too lazy to do." He pinches her cheek and is swiftly pulled down the stairs. Sam just shakes his head and laughs fondly at his best friend and his daughter.

They reach their usual coffee shop after a five minute walk around the block, and Rory takes Pepper to a table while Sam heads up to order.

The girl that usually serves him, Rachel, isn't around. Sam frowns a little, because he kind of wanted to know how her audition for _Wicked _went. She's very talkative, Sam has learned in the three years he's been coming here. He knows all about her husband Finn, who she has been with since high school, the off-Broadway productions she's been starring in since she graduated from NYADA, her best friend and step-brother-in-law Kurt and her two gay dads. She apparently thinks they talk enough to give him her number, since the other month she wrote it on the side of his latte cup.

"Can I get you anything?" The man behind the counter smiles at him, smoothing back his perfectly groomed brown hair. He's tall and slim, bright blue-green eyes sparkling slightly as he smiles. There's a name tag pinned on his chest that says '_Kurt_' in neat cursive.

"Er, yeah. One medium latte, one medium cappuccino and a small summer fruit smoothie, please."

"Coming right up." Kurt smiles, noting down the order and ringing it through the checkout. "Five dollars and forty two cents, please."

Sam hands over the ten dollar bill he already had in his hand and smiles at him.

"So you're the famous Kurt, then?" Sam asks, after he's looked behind him to make sure he isn't holding up a line. The brunette looks up at him as he pins the order to the coffee machine.

"What?" He looks away from the blonde as a dark haired girl wearing glasses starts up the machine to make Sam's coffee order.

"Rachel. She talks about you a lot."

"Oh, God, she doesn't, does she?" Kurt looks embarrassed. "I hope it's all good."

"Yeah. Where is she, by the way? She said she'd tell me how her _Wicked _audition went and she hasn't texted me yet."

"She's at rehearsals. She got Elphaba." Kurt smiles almost proudly, and Sam smiles back. "Wait, that means you must be Sam, right?"

The blonde nods.

"So _you're _the chivalrous single father who's always in here with his... Friend. Rachel talks about you sometimes. You're the only person who lets her talk for hours on end." Kurt laughs playfully, glancing at Rory in the far corner of the coffee shop.

"What do you mean, friend? Rory?" Sam frowns, following Kurt's gaze to where Rory is helping Pepper draw something in his sketchbook. "He works for me. We've known each other for years. He's practically Pepper's uncle."

"Wait, you called your kid Pepper? What kind of a name is that?"

"Dude, did you never read the _Iron Man _comics? I named her after Pepper Potts. She's awesome!" Sam replies with an almost shy grin.

"No, Sam, I have never read the _Iron Man _comics. Do I really look like the type? I daresay my step-brother has, though."

"Your step-brother likes comics?"

"He is an accountant. Let the man have one pleasure in his life." Kurt laughs playfully, grabbing the smoothie cup that his co-worker had just deposited next to him.

"Well, I run the comic store a few blocks away from here, tell-"

"Evans' Comic Emporium? That's yours?" Kurt asks, sticking a plastic straw into the smoothie cup and popping the dome lid on. "I've been in to buy Finn birthday presents before. I don't remember seeing you, though."

"I was probably looking after Pepper. Rory's usually around, though. You'll have to stop by." Sam smiles shyly and he can feel his cheeks burning harder than they have since high school.

Kurt pushes two mugs on a small, circular tray over to him, setting the smoothie in the small remaining gap.

"I think I will." Kurt smiles, handing Sam the tray. "It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah. You too."

Sam stumbles his way over to Rory and Pepper, sets the tray down and slumps into the chair opposite Rory.

"Daddy, look! Rory helped me draw Steve!" Pepper says proudly, picking up Rory's pocket sketchbook and showing off a pretty detailed drawing of Captain America, shield and all.

"That's good, sweetie." Sam replies with a smile, kissing her on the top of her head and handing her the smoothie she wanted.

"Sam," Rory asks as he passes him his latte, "what's this?"

He's holding the order slip Kurt had written their drinks on earlier, except now, written on the back is what looks to be his cell phone number, and the phrase _'maybe you could teach me about Iron Man?'_ written in thick, black cursive.

"Er, that would be a phone number." Sam blushes and stares into his coffee, suddenly finding the swirl of cream very interesting.

"No shit, Sherlock. Whose phone number?" Rory presses. Sam eyes Pepper warily, but she is stirring her smoothie happily.

Sam chances a look over at the counter, and Kurt catches his eye and smiles at him, waving slightly with one hand. Sam smiles back, and Rory turns in his seat to look at Kurt.

"Well then." Rory laughs. "You've pulled."

Sam leans across the table to hit him.

The door of the shop opens then, and two people enter, chatting excitedly. One of them is a guy in a wheelchair, who is rolling the wheels with one hand whilst the other holds the hand of a small, dark-skinned girl.

"Mercedes!" Kurt shouts, grinning at the two of them as they walk over. Sam watches them from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, boo." She leans over the counter to hug him. "Artie and I have some news for you."

"All good, I hope."

Mercedes doesn't say anything, just rests her left hand on the counter top and grins at him. Kurt frowns at her for a second until he notices she's wearing a ring.

"You're _engaged_? Congratulations!"

Sam looks at the guy in the wheelchair, Artie, for a long moment, until he realizes that he's seen the guy in the store before. He remembers the 'discussion' (perhaps argument might be a better word, he thinks) he had with him last month about whether DC is better than Marvel –which, for the record, he won. DC sucks.

"Yes! He asked me when we went out last night to that restaurant a few blocks from our apartment that he _knows _I love and it was perfect!" She exclaims excitedly, leaning down to kiss Artie. He blushes.

"You're staring." Rory comments offhandedly as he passes Pepper a dark blue marker. "It's weird, stop it."

Sam jumps, shakes his head and drinks what's left of his coffee.

"Shut up. I'll listen to you when a girl gives you her number in a coffee shop." Sam replies indignantly, his lips quirking up into a smirk as he watches Kurt talk animatedly to his friends. Rory rolls his eyes and leans over to help Pepper colour in some of the smaller shapes.

Fifteen minutes later, Artie and Mercedes have settled into seats around a table a few feet away from Sam and Rory, so when Rory loudly mentions that he's leaving to go and set up that Black Widow standee that came in earlier and stack up those new Marvel books, Artie overhears them.

"Wait, you have those in stock?" He asks, a little too excitedly for someone his age.

"Yeah, they just came in today." Sam says, picking up the slip of paper with Kurt's number on it and tucking it into his pocket.

"Oh, awesome. I'll have to come in tomorrow and get one."

"We can reserve you a copy, if you'd like."

"Sure, okay. Do you need any details?"

Sam plucks a business card from his shirt pocket (even he has to admit it's horribly nerdy –there's a faded superhero on one side that he designed some time last year, with his name and details on the other side and the words '_Artist and Designer available for commissions'_ underneath it) and hands it to Artie, along with a black pen.

"Just your name and contact number, please."

Artie starts writing, and Sam looks up to see Rory and Mercedes chatting to each other, while Pepper colours in with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth.

"Thanks." Artie smiles at him as he hands back the card, and Sam tucks it into his pocket and taps Pepper on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Come on, sweetie. Uncle Rory has to go to the shop and you have some schoolwork to do."

"But Dad." She whines, dragging out the 'a' sound, and yeah, she's definitely his daughter.

"No buts, Pep. You'll have all day to draw with Rory tomorrow, it's Saturday. If you finish your work tonight, you can come to the store with me all day."

"Fine." She sighs begrudgingly, tugging herself up on to her feet and holding out her arms. Sam laughs at her and scoops her up, resting her against his hip and poking her on the nose.

"Good girl. Now say goodbye to Rory."

She waves exuberantly at the Irishman, and he laughs, kissing her on the top of the head.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Pepper. You too, Sam."

The blonde smiles, hugs his friend and waves as he leaves for the car. Rory mutters something along the lines of 'if I didn't know you liked guys I'd be concerned' under his breath. Sam laughs, rolls his eyes and disappears out of the door.

An hour or two later, after he has spent some time getting to know Artie and Mercedes (they've been dating since college, he's working in accounting with Kurt's brother, she's working in fashion design with her friend Tina, who he apparently just _has _to meet because she's adorable, among a million other things) and exchanged phone numbers, Rory is just about to get up and head for the shop when Kurt comes dashing over. His shift must be over, or something, Rory guesses.

"You're Rory, right? Sam's friend?"

"Er, yeah, why?"

"I think I need your help."

"What with? If it's Sam, then you met the guy, what, two hours ago? I'm sure you're fine."

"Well, it is about Sam, but it's just... A few questions, I guess."

"No offence, but wouldn't you be better off asking him?" Rory deadpans, frowning slightly.

"I would've done that, but there's no socially acceptable way to just go 'where's her mother', now is there?" Kurt almost snaps at the other man, but he bites at his lower lip and looks at the floor.

"Look, I'll tell you what I tell everyone else who asks. Yes, she is his. No, he is not in a relationship with her mother, or anyone else. He hasn't heard from her in years. Yes, he has full custody. Yes, he likes women too. Does that about cover it?"

Kurt gapes at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just... Not very good with relationships, I guess." Kurt admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and flushing pink. "I don't want to accidentally offend him, or anything."

"Trust me; it's pretty hard to offend Sam. He's kind of like a kid, just with a better attention span. If you ever upset him, he'll have forgotten or forgiven you within two days." Rory laughs gently, pulling his jacket closed.

"Okay. Thanks." Kurt smiles gently, but Rory can still tell he's nervous.

"Oh, Kurt?" He says suddenly when he's halfway out of the door. "If you remember anything I've said, remember this; please be careful with him."

Kurt nods; Rory smiles and disappears through the door, the bell attached to the hinge tinkling quietly.

Kurt's shoulders sag as he sighs and looks at his cell phone to see if Sam has texted him yet.


	2. avengers assemble

Sam walks into the shop the next morning (two hours _after _Rory had to open up, the brunette notes) with a grin on his face, his cell phone in one hand and Pepper in the other.

"You look happy." Rory smirks as Sam sits Pepper on the counter next to the cash register and types something on his phone's keypad quickly.

"Can you watch Pepper tonight?" Sam asks, completely ignoring Rory as he rolls his eyes and writes up a few reservations that have come in so far.

"Why?" Rory asks with a slightly smug smirk.

"Well," Sam smiles, blushing pink across the top of his cheeks, "I think I have a date tonight."

"Kurt?" Rory says with a small smile as he straightens a few of the counter-top standees.

"Yeah. But I don't know if you could really call it a date." Sam thinks for a moment as he pins his name tag in place. "We're just watching a few of the _Avengers _films and I'm going to explain the intricacies of the Marvel universe to him."

"Sam." Rory says sternly, looking at him from over a stack of special edition _Watchmen _comics. "How can you not know if it counts as a date?"

"It just seems so quick!" Sam exclaims, taking half of the books from Rory's hands. "I mean, I met him yesterday and he's coming over tonight to watch stupid comic movies with me and I _know _I'm going to mess up somehow!"

"_Sam_." Rory says again, moving Pepper into a seat behind the counter. "He wouldn't have given you his number if he didn't want to spend time with you, whether you're being your nerdy self, or your good-dad self, or even your 'I think it's acceptable to wander around my apartment in my underwear'-self."

Sam blushes red and hides himself behind a Rorschach standee.

"_Rory!_ Shut up!" Sam practically squeaks as he shunts the standee towards the front window. "I don't even know where it'll go, it seemed like he genuinely wanted to know about Iron Man so I might just be his go-to guy for all nerdy things. I don't know."

Sam sighs, frowns at the floor for a second as he piles up a few special-edition-with-mask blu-rays of the _Watchmen _remake that was released a few years ago.

"Sam." Rory sighs after a few minutes of silence, making his way over to the other man quickly. "Stop being so down on yourself, would you? Maybe he actually wants to hang out with you because you're you?"

"Why would he want that, though?" Sam sighs, folding a few _Spiderman _shirts absently and stuffing them onto the display shelves. "He barely knows me. He's probably heard more about me from Rachel than he actually has from me."

"For Christ's sake, _Samuel_." Rory snaps at him, grabbing him by the elbow and turning him around. "He spoke to me last night after you left the coffee shop. He's just as nervous as you are. Now, repeat after me: I will be fine."

"I will be fine." Sam murmurs, still clearly unsure about the whole situation, but Rory pulls him into a tight hug, and the twenty-eight year old sighs and hugs back.

The bell above the door rings and they separate themselves, turning to look at the new entrants. It's Artie and a tall, heavily pregnant woman with a pink tinged blonde bob.

"Oh, wow." She says, pushing the door closed. "Noah would love it in here."

"That's what I meant. You'll probably find a pretty good birthday present for him in here." Artie explains, wheeling himself towards the register at the back of the shop. Rory practically barrels down there to get there first. Sam rolls his eyes at him.

"Hey, Artie!" Rory says, rummaging around under the counter for his comic, passing it over the top. "Here's that comic. I think it's nine dollars? Sam?"

"Yeah?" He replies, poking his head around a collection of bookcases.

"Nine dollars, right?"

Sam nods and disappears back behind the shelves as his cell phone vibrates in his pocket.

_New Message: Kurt H_

_Shall I bring the ice cream and cookies?_

Sam texts back his affirmation and says that he'll see him later. Kurt texts back a simple smiley face within the minute. He tunes back in to Rory's conversation in time to hear the woman –whose name is Quinn, apparently- finish explaining that she's looking for a birthday present for her husband Noah, but all she knows is that he 'likes comics'. Sam rolls his eyes, holding back a laugh as he flicks through a particularly thick graphic novel before continuing to stack them on to the shelves.

That night, after Pepper has been deposited at Rory's for the night (with a sketchbook and a mountain of blu-rays to keep her company) and after Sam has changed into a checked shirt that he's kept unbuttoned quite low (and it was definitely his first outfit change, not his third, thank you _very _much), Kurt arrives with a bag full of tubs of ice cream, and far too many packets of cookies for two almost thirty year olds.

"Hey." Kurt says with a small smile when Sam opens the door to his apartment. Sam smiles back and opens the door wide. He can practically feel himself flushing under Kurt's scrutiny –the brunette is currently wandering into the sitting room, having paused to look at the collection of Pepper's baby photographs hanging in the hallway. He heads towards the kitchen, picks up two spoons before moving into the sitting room. Kurt is looking at one of the bigger canvases he's finished lately –this one is a massive rectangular pop art of the

Golden Gate Bridge for Stacy's birthday next month.

"Did you paint this?" Kurt asks, gesturing at the canvas as he hands Sam the bag of ice cream. "It's amazing."

"Yeah. It's for my kid sister's birthday. She's kind of obsessed with architecture." Sam laughs nervously, rummaging through the bag and setting the various tubs of ice cream on the coffee table. "Spoon?"

Kurt takes it from him and smiles, shrugging off his jacket and perching on the edge of the sofa. Sam grabs his copy of _Captain America_, inserts the disc and settles himself beside Kurt.

"Why do you want to just watch a ton of Marvel movies, anyway?" Sam asks, popping the lid off the tub nearest him. "I thought you didn't like them."

"I haven't really watched that many." Kurt shrugs, digging his spoon into the tub of double chocolate. "And the ones I have seen were punctuated by Finn spouting random trivia over most of the important speech."

"I'll shut up then." Sam laughs, pressing play on the remote. "I kind of know a lot about these movies. Even if they are at least ten years old."

"At least you have an excuse." Kurt laughs, eating a spoonful of ice cream. "You work with comics and their movie adaptations! My stepbrother is an accountant."

By the time they've finished watching _Captain America _and are halfway through _Thor_, they've polished off all but half of one tub of ice cream and have made a start on the cookies. Kurt's 'no talking through the movie' rule was quickly abolished when Kurt started talking about how he remembers going to see this with Finn in their senior year. The conversation quickly turns to siblings, and so Sam finds himself divulging numerous anecdotes about growing up with Stevie and Stacy, all of which Kurt laughs at –and a few are apparently that funny he feels the need to reach over and squeeze his knee in such a way that Sam's heart flutters worryingly.

They've just begun on the topic of Pepper by the time Thor is trying to prise his hammer from the big lump of rock, but neither of them have been paying attention for at least the last fifteen minutes.

"I mean, she seems to be doing just fine without her mom around –which is good, I guess, because her mom was kind of a bitch. Probably still is, to be honest. Haven't heard from her in years."

"What happened with her?" Kurt asks, frowning slightly into his tub of ice cream. "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, it's fine." Sam reassures him, looking at him with a soft smile. "Well, we went to college together. Graduated together and all that. We got a little drunk one time, decided it was a brilliant idea to just, well... I'm pretty sure you can guess where that went... And then she found out she was pregnant, but she didn't want an abortion or to keep the baby when they were born, so she kind of just... Gave me her, I guess. She said she'd call once in a while, but she never has. Not that it's a massive disaster for me or Pep, really."

Kurt doesn't exactly know what he's doing when he reaches over and takes hold of Sam's hand, twisting their fingers together. Sam just smiles at him, squeezes his hand and shuffles a little closer to him. Kurt blushes pink and attempts to focus back on the movie.

It doesn't work.

Sam wakes up in the morning to the sound of the _Thor _menu screen playing over and over, and to the weight of Kurt on his chest. He guesses they must have fallen asleep at some point, but if the fact that his hand is still holding Kurt's is anything to go by, then last night was a success. Kurt shuffles slightly, sniffling as he rearranges himself. Sam smiles, resting his head back against the arm of the sofa and closing his eyes.

They are rudely awoken a few hours later to the sound of Rory practically breaking down the front door with his fist. Kurt starts suddenly, sitting up and using Sam's chest as some kind of surface to push himself up. Sam squeaks in a ridiculously girly way because he's pretty sure it's not good for his lungs to be compressed like that.

"What time is it?" Kurt grumbles, rubbing at his eyes with one hand as he sits himself up.

"About ten in the morning." Sam glances at his watch and pulls himself into a sitting position. "You don't have to be at work, do you?"

"No, but I have an audition at twelve." Kurt pushes his bangs back out of his face with his hand. "Shouldn't you be at your store?"

"We're closed on Sundays." Sam explains. "But I think I should go let Rory and Pepper in before Rory destroys my door with his bare hands."

"You do realize Pepper hasn't really seen me yet, don't you? How do you plan to explain whatever this is to her?" Kurt frowns as Sam stands up.

"I've been in relationships before –granted only two, and those guys were kind of assholes- and I pretty much just told her outright. She's a pretty smart kid, I think she understood. Or at least, she seemed to."

"Sam?" Kurt asks as the blonde reaches the doorway. The blonde turns to look at him with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go out tonight?" Kurt asks cautiously, standing up and joining Sam in the doorway. The blonde looks at him for a long moment, as if checking that he's being serious.

"Yeah, sure, you mean like for dinner or something?" Sam asks, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm sure I'll be able to find somewhere nice."

Kurt smiles, hugs his arms around Sam's waist and laughs into his neck. Sam feels himself blush and wonders if it would be too soon to go in for a peck on the cheek. Kurt is apparently wondering the same thing, and as he leans up and Sam leans down, there's a moment of them staring at each other and then Kurt suddenly moves and Sam isn't really paying attention and kind of just kisses him.

And oh Christ this is the most embarrassing thing he's ever done, how did this happen, he was aiming for the cheek, just something innocent and cute and dear God he should never be allowed to kiss people again. Ever.

And then Kurt kisses back and _maybe _this is okay. Maybe he can live with this.

Kurt pulls away and they look at each other for a long moment. Then Kurt leans back in and kisses him again. And Sam decides that yeah, he can live with this.

"Samuel Peter Evans! If you don't open this door _right now _I am holding your daughter and your comics hostage!" Rory yells through the wood and Kurt laughs, pulling away from Sam again.

"You'd better answer the door. You couldn't risk anything happening to Pepper." Kurt smiles and Sam bites back a laugh, an obvious pink blush over the tops of his cheeks.

Sam moves into the hallway and pulls the door open to reveal a seething Rory and a grinning Pepper.

"Er, hi."

"Jesus Christ." Rory sighs, pushing past him and into the apartment.

"Hey, sweetie." Sam says as he scoops up Pepper. The girl laughs and Sam carries her through into the sitting room, where Kurt has retired to the sofa. He's lacing up his boots, Rory sitting next to him in a way that can only be awkward.

"Pep, there's someone I want you to meet. This is Kurt." He sets Pepper down and the girl smiles cheerily at the brunette, waving at him from two feet away.

"Hi!" She says and Kurt smiles at her. "I'm Pepper!"

She moves towards him and hugs his leg. Kurt looks at her awkwardly for a moment or two until she giggles and him and he laughs, patting her on the head.

"You're sweet." He tells her, and she smiles.

"I'd better go get ready for this audition." Kurt announces, after Rory has scooped up Pepper and has switched the TV to a kid's channel.

"I'll see you out." Sam says. Kurt picks up his bag and heads into the hallway, Sam close behind him. Rory rolls his eyes at both of them.

"Good luck with your audition." Sam says quietly as they stand in the front doorway. "What's it for?"

"_Rent._ Rachel saw the posters last week and decided I'd be perfect for the role of Angel." Kurt smiles widely.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Sam grins. "I'll see you tonight."

"I'll pick you up at seven." Kurt smiles at him, kisses him quickly before he disappears through the door.

Sam closes the door, breathes heavy for a second and starts thinking through his outfit for tonight in his head.

"Rory!"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where I could find _Rent _on DVD?"


	3. dinner date

"You look fine." Santana says with a roll of her eyes as Sam stands in front of her in his sitting room at six forty-five. He fumbles with his tie, and she bats his hands away and reties it for him.

"There. Wonderful." She laughs. Sam pouts at her, and she kisses him on the cheek before sitting down on the sofa beside her fiancée and their baby.

"Why am I so nervous?" He mumbles to himself, but Santana hears him and raises an eyebrow at him.

"Sammy." She stands again, gripping his shoulders so that he looks at her. "You haven't been on a real date in, what, two years? It's fine that you're nervous."

"I know, it's just that, well, I really like him and I don't want to mess this up." Sam tugs at the cuffs of the white dinner shirt Santana had picked out for him.

Santana rolls her eyes and mutters in Spanish, reaching up and brushing a few strands of his bangs away from his eyes.

"Just be yourself, don't be a douche, hold his hand in public and kiss him goodnight when he walks you home. Woo him, Evans." She says with an almost sly smirk, and he swallows nervously again. There's a knock at the door and he starts.

She kisses him on the cheek again and pushes him towards the front door.

"Go get him. And don't forget your wallet!"

"Hi." Kurt says with a shy smile when Sam opens the door. He's dressed impeccably, in a black suit that Sam figures is probably vintage Westwood, given the decals on the buttons. He's wearing a white button-down shirt with a high collar, his hair pushed back into an almost messy bouffant.

"Hey." Sam smiles, stepping out of the door and closing it quietly behind him. He falls in to step beside Kurt and slides their hands together. "How did your audition go?"

"I think it went okay. I overheard some of the other auditions; one of the guys' voices cracked so badly towards the end. Made me feel a little better." Kurt says with an almost shy smile. "I'll know if I have a callback by this time tomorrow."

"I'm sure you'll do great." Sam smiles, holding the front door to the apartment building open. "The restaurant I've booked into is a few blocks away, we can walk it, if you'd like."

"Okay." Kurt smiles, squeezes his hand and tugs him through the doorway. "Oh, and by the way, Rachel told me to invite you to the opening night of _Wicked_. Pepper could probably come too, but she might get a little scared."

"Okay. I'm sure Pepper will be okay. I'm pretty positive Rory accidentally let her watch _The Shining _when she was four so I think she'll be fine with witches."

Kurt laughs openly with him, swinging their interlinked hands.

They arrive at a quaint little restaurant after a few minutes. There's a soft orange glow falling from the windows, and a small hanging sign above the door reads 'Pearce's' in almost peeling red paint.

Sam pushes the door open and a small bell above the door rings. A small, dark haired girl wearing a grin and too-bright red lipstick bounces up to the server's stand at the front of the restaurant.

"Hey, Sam!" She says, flipping through the book of reservations in her hand. "You booked ahead, right?"

"Hi, Harmony. Yeah, I did, I think Sugar wrote it in if that's any help."

"Oh, yeah. Here. Follow me." She grins again and leads them towards a small table in one of the front windows. "Here are your menus; I'll be back in five to take your drink orders."

"She seems nice." Kurt says with a small smirk as he shrugs off his jacket and makes to pull out his chair. Sam stops him and pulls it out for him with a pink blush dusting the tops of his cheeks. Kurt rolls his eyes but sits anyway.

"She's alright. If you can get past the whole broke-your-best-friend's-heart thing." Sam says as he sits down opposite and opens the menu.

"What?"

"She's Rory's ex-girlfriend. She broke up with him about six months ago. Kind of destroyed him emotionally." Sam explains almost nonchalantly, perusing the wine list with vague interest.

"Oh. And you're still friends with her?"

"I wouldn't say I'm her friend. I tolerate her, she tolerates me. She gives me preferential treatment whenever I decide to eat here. Brings orders faster and stuff. I give her a bit of discount at the store whenever she stops by. Do you prefer red or white wine?"

"White, but I can't drink. I have to drive home, remember?"

"You could stay with me." Sam states. Kurt stares at him wide-eyed and Sam blushes fuchsia. "Um, wow, sorry, that was way too forward of me, forget I said that."

He runs his fingers through his hair, rests the menu closed on the table. Kurt reaches over and takes hold of his hand.

"Sam, it's fine. I'd love to."

"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to, I'll sleep on the couch if it would make you more comfortable-"

"_Sam_. It's fine, really. I'll just have to leave kind of early to get home and shower before work."

"O-Okay. I have to take Pepper to kindergarten anyway." Sam blushes even harder. Kurt smiles at him and leans across the table to kiss him.

"Can I take your drink orders?" Harmony reappears from somewhere and smiles at the two of them.

"Yeah, just a bottle of house white." Harmony nods and disappears again.

"So." Kurt says with a coy smile after Harmony has poured them both glasses and taken their orders. "Tell me about yourself."

Sam laughs at him, taking a sip of his wine before setting it back on the table.

"That's your opening line? Okay." Sam laughs lightly, tugging at the cuffs of his shirt. "Er, I'm twenty-eight, I graduated from Illinois State University, where I met Pepper's mom. I was born in Tennessee but was brought up in Kentucky, which I guess is kind of why my accent is all over the place? I met Rory when I moved to New York just after Pepper was born, when I was twenty-four, and I've been stuck with him ever since. I like stupid, nerdy movies and TV shows and I laugh at pictures of cats on the Internet. Does that about cover it?"

Kurt laughs at him and leans over the table to hold his hand again.

"I would think so." Kurt laughs a little louder and squeezes his hand.

"Now you."

"Well, I'm twenty-nine in a few months, and I graduated from NYADA a few years ago, where I studied with Rachel. She and my step-brother got married not too long ago. I was the one that introduced my father to Finn's mother; they were married while we were still in high school in Ohio. Which I realize is hardly a delightful place to grow up, but, humble beginnings, you know? My first ever stage production after college was a terrible off-Broadway production of _Hair_. I was in the ensemble cast and it was just atrocious. If I get this role in _Rent _it'll be my first major role."

He blushes, either with nervousness or embarrassment and Sam squeezes his hand back.

"Like I said, I'm sure you'll do great. What did you audition with?"

"Well, I went for Angel, like I said this morning, so I sang his solo song, _Today 4 U_. As did seemingly everyone else. There were people there in costume, Sam. _Costume_. How am I meant to stand out against a well-made fur coat?"

"I'm sure you were brilliant." Sam smiles at him over his wine glass and strokes the back of his hand.

"While I appreciate your blind faith, I'm not sure you're right. I suppose I'll find out tomorrow, but I don't know. _Rent _is kind of a big deal."

"I've only ever seen the movie. Santana lent me it a while ago in an attempt to make me a little more cultured. I don't think I really got it." Sam says sheepishly. He conveniently forgets that 'a while ago' was about four hours earlier, when he went bashing down her front door.

"Santana?"

"She's my other best friend. After Rory. She lives across the hall with her fiancée, Brittany. And their daughter. She's a Spanish teacher at one of the local high schools. She's a sweetheart."

"That's sweet. Did they adopt?"

"No, San decided she was ready to actually _have _a baby, so they asked me to, y'know, _donate_, so I did. So she's biologically mine, I guess. But they're not going to tell her that her Uncle Sammy's her dad until she's way older. If they tell her at all."

"So, technically, you have two kids?"

"I suppose. But it's not like Alba's really 'mine', is it?"

"Alba? That's her name?" Kurt asks inquisitively as Harmony reappears and sets down their starters and another bottle of wine.

"Yeah. Santana has Spanish in her heritage, and Alba is Spanish for sunrise. Or so she told me, in any case. I think Britt just agreed with her because she thought it was pretty."

Kurt laughs and releases Sam's hand to set about his bruschetta.

They leave the restaurant about two hours later, stumbling slightly having consumed too much alcohol in too much time, and Sam waves exuberantly at Harmony through the window. She practically grimaces and waves her hand gently before turning back to her conversation with Sugar.

"So I guess you're about to meet Santana and Brittany." Sam hesitates for a second as he leans against his front door. "They're sweethearts, they'll like you. I mean, there's a chance San might interrogate you, but she might wait a while, since the kids are probably both asleep."

"Thanks. I'm really filled with confidence." Kurt snips back as Sam unlocks the door and holds it open for him.

"Hey." Santana says quietly from the sofa when they both step in to the living room. Alba is asleep in her Moses basket at her feet, Pepper is nowhere in sight (though the soft glow of her nightlight pooling in the hallway tells them she's probably asleep in her bed) and Brittany is curled up with her head in Santana's lap, eyes lidded.

Sam smiles at her and pulls Kurt in by the wrist.

"Kurt, this is Santana and Brittany. San, Britt; Kurt."

"Nice to meet you." Santana smiles up at him, extending her hand for him to shake. "I'm sure we'll get along."

Kurt takes her hand, smiles politely, and Santana stands. She is suddenly much more imposing, and Kurt has to stop himself from stepping back. She smiles again, softer this time as she helps Brittany to her feet and moves over to pick up Alba's basket.

"I put Pepper to bed a few hours ago, made sure she laid out her clothes for school tomorrow and Britt read her a bedtime story. She should sleep until morning." Santana stops in front of Sam and straightens the lapel of his jacket.

"Your daughter's beautiful." Kurt tells Brittany after watching the blonde rearrange her daughter's hat.

"Yeah, because she looks like San." Brittany replies with a smile, looking at him with bright eyes. "You'll look after Sammy and Pepper, won't you?"

The question is out of the blue, and Kurt falters for a second under her stare.

"Yes, of course I will."

"Good. That way San won't have to come after you." Brittany frowns a little, her eyebrows knitting together. "I like you."

"Thanks." Kurt replies, bewildered, and watches as Santana pats Sam's shoulder and kisses him on the cheek, then takes Brittany's hand and leads her out of the apartment.

"They seem lovely." Kurt says after a long pause. Sam laughs at him, shrugging off his jacket and laying it over the back of the sofa.

"They are, they can just be a little intimidating." Sam says with a small smile. "The bedroom's through there, I'm just going to check on Pepper."

Sam dips in to Pepper's room to find her sprawled out on her bed with her blanket tucked up under her arms. He smiles softly, presses a kiss to her forehead and heads back in to his own room.

Kurt is perched on the edge of his bed, jacket folded in his lap. The room is almost elegantly dishevelled, he thinks –there's art prints of a few movies and superheroes framed on the walls, the bed is barely made and the desk in the corner of the room is covered in a variety of art supplies, computer wires and stacks of paper covered in drawings and sketches.

"Um, do you want pyjamas?" Sam asks awkwardly from the doorway. Kurt starts, looks up at him and nods quickly.

Sam rummages through his drawers for a moment and digs out two t-shirts and pairs of shorts. He hands Kurt a set before excusing himself to the bathroom.

Kurt unbuttons his shirt and folds it carefully, setting it on top of the chest of drawers. He unfolds the shirt –blue with a target symbol printed on the front- and determines it will be far too big for him before he tugs it over his head.

He's folding his trousers after fighting against the shorts when Sam returns, hair tousled and gray shirt loose on his torso.

"Bed?" He asks, pushing his fingers into his hair. Kurt smiles and nods slightly.

"Yeah, okay."


End file.
